This part, 'The House of Standish', written in 2015, tells the story of George Standish’s early years and how Oddsmore Hall is unusually run as a business, and so makes a profit. To diversify from their successful art venture, Sarah and Peter Standish decide to start a company, the Clairvoyant Collective Co. Ltd, and enter the catering market at the top end. They build their first restaurant in their stately home grounds.
Two of the criminals involved in the theft of t' The Art Thieves' return to run a different scam, and are joined by a shadowy figure from the past who is peddling drugs. Part of a consognemtn of drugs are left in the Woods behind Oddsmore Hall but are found the gardeners under the guidance of young George Standish who saw them being left there. An arson attack on the restaurant results in Peter clearing customers and staff from the burning building. The arsonist hides in the woods but is trapped by six year old George and arrested. Peter and George are hailed as heroes, but George’s reward by the police causes havoc in the Hall. World-wide sympathetic reaction to the arson attack leads to a chain of restaurants being built, some franchised. This brings it into conflict with Lord Bollard, owner of the stately home, Smallcroft House, who is the boss of Kwiksnak Chicken, an international fast food company with thousands of outlets which sell cheap poor-quality food. Skirmishes over the market then begin. The Standish also go down-market, buying the ALFA supermarket chain and opening Sandwich Bars, and this low-end working puts it on a direct collision course with Kwiksnak, which plays some unproductive dirty tricks on the Collective, ending in an own goal when a High Street restaurant belonging to the Collective is attacked by a Kwiksnak mob, but it is the Kwiksnak outlet next door which is burned down.
The Kwiksnak boss is joined by his friend, Lord Belvedere, who owns the stately home, Wakeford Abbey, and who is the boss of a rival chain of fish and chip shops . Humour comes when the Kwiksnak boss tours with a manikin of his wife, Lady Felicity, who is a catwalk model. Eventually, whilst growing rapidly, the Collective buys more hotels, restaurants and Sandwich Bars, plus franchises, and as it expands Peter Standish buys a jet plane, by which time he is knighted for his services to industry.
Two of the criminals involved in the theft of t' The Art Thieves' return to run a different scam, and are joined by a shadowy figure from the past who is peddling drugs. Part of a consognemtn of drugs are left in the Woods behind Oddsmore Hall but are found the gardeners under the guidance of young George Standish who saw them being left there. An arson attack on the restaurant results in Peter clearing customers and staff from the burning building. The arsonist hides in the woods but is trapped by six year old George and arrested. Peter and George are hailed as heroes, but George’s reward by the police causes havoc in the Hall. World-wide sympathetic reaction to the arson attack leads to a chain of restaurants being built, some franchised. This brings it into conflict with Lord Bollard, owner of the stately home, Smallcroft House, who is the boss of Kwiksnak Chicken, an international fast food company with thousands of outlets which sell cheap poor-quality food. Skirmishes over the market then begin. The Standish also go down-market, buying the ALFA supermarket chain and opening Sandwich Bars, and this low-end working puts it on a direct collision course with Kwiksnak, which plays some unproductive dirty tricks on the Collective, ending in an own goal when a High Street restaurant belonging to the Collective is attacked by a Kwiksnak mob, but it is the Kwiksnak outlet next door which is burned down.
The Kwiksnak boss is joined by his friend, Lord Belvedere, who owns the stately home, Wakeford Abbey, and who is the boss of a rival chain of fish and chip shops . Humour comes when the Kwiksnak boss tours with a manikin of his wife, Lady Felicity, who is a catwalk model. Eventually, whilst growing rapidly, the Collective buys more hotels, restaurants and Sandwich Bars, plus franchises, and as it expands Peter Standish buys a jet plane, by which time he is knighted for his services to industry.
